Genetic Diversity and Genetic Differentiation of Rheum palmatum by Chloroplast matK Sequences

Background: Rheum palmatum is a medically important plant in the Polygonaceae family. Its wild resources have been declining due to over-exploitation. It is important and urgent to investigate the genetic diversity for the conservation of R. palmatum. Methods: The Chloroplast DNA matK sequences were used to assess genetic diversity among and within populations in this species. The genetic diversity index was calculated by Dnasp, PERMUT and Arlequin 3.0 software, and a Neighbor-Joining (NJ)-tree was constructed by MEGA 5.0 software. Results: Nine haplotypes were obtained based on the matK sequence analysis in fifteen populations. We found a relatively high genetic diversity in species level (Hd = 0.7414), and the genetic diversity among populations (FST = 0.81582) was higher than that within populations (FSC = 0.69526) according to the AMOVA analysis. The genetic distance between populations ranged from 0 to 0.0044, which within populations ranged from 0 to 0.001761. There was a significant correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance (r = 0.601, P < 0.001) according to the SPSS analysis. Conclusion: The genetic diversity among populations was higher than that within populations due to geographic isolation and decline in gene flow among populations. This study is significant for further studies concerned with efficient collection and preservation of wild resource of R. palmatum.